«Protecting the environment, while working to make people's lives better.»
People at Baikal already spend a lot of time on the Great Baikal Trail. A favourite hike for many is to walk for a full day along the trail from the port town of Listvyanka, up north along the coast of Baikal, to the village of Big Cats (Bolshiye Koty).
For other people who want to camp out along the trail it is possible to go further, all the way up to the town of Bolshoye Goloustnoye. In fact there are new trails being built everywhere around Baikal—and not just along the shoreline. One of the most popular new routes is further inland, taking hikers up to the rock cliffs of the Olkhinski Plateau, not far from Irkutsk.
The thing is: the Great Baikal Trail is not simply about hiking. Yes, it is there for people to get out and enjoy nature. But it really does so much more for people. It inspires them, it educates them, it makes them more aware of our wonderful natural environment at Baikal!
You might ask: Who exactly is building this trail? Well, it is a group of like-minded environmentalists, and includes volunteers who come from all over the world to help construct our local trails. Some volunteers come from China and other nearby Asian countries. From the time when the Great Baikal started its work in 2003, it has brought together thousands of volunteers who have since formed a growing community of nature-lovers around the lake.